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I broke a house rule and treated one kid unfairly

I have a rule that when kids stay home from school they are not allowed to watch TV during school hours or to play outside at all that day. I have always done this so that staying home from school is not fun for them. Today I broke this rule and let my son go play with a friend after he stayed home from school.

I probably would never do the same with my daughter and she knows it. I even discussed it with her as I did it. The reason I let my son go play even though he stayed home sick today? Because this is the first opportunity I've had to get him out of his room at all for a long time.

My son is high functioning autistic. He's been learning social skills fairly well and he's a real polite kid. For him to leave his room at all is an accomplishment. When his friend asked if he could play I didn't even hesitate, despite the rule. I even let him spend the night when he asked.

My daughter was fine with me breaking this rule. She got a night with just the two of us and we've been watching movies (until she fell asleep). She knows what a struggle it is to drag her brother out of his room.

What do you ladies think? Should I have enforced the rule and kept him in the house? Or did I make the right decision in this case?

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